Apple overhauls app developer platform, adds 100 new metrics and tools

We have big news for app developers today. No, App Store fees will not be reduced. Instead, Apple on Wednesday announced major updates to its App Store Connect service, which lets developers publish, manage and track app performance across its platforms.

This change introduces over 100 new metrics that can be tracked across areas such as monetization and subscription data, as well as other metrics designed to help developers better understand the performance of their apps’ in-app purchases and offers.

There are already a number of third-party services that can give you a glimpse into your app’s performance, including broad app intelligence platforms like Sensor Tower and Appfigures, as well as platforms specifically for subscription app developers like RevenueCat. However, the benefit of the new App Store Connect metrics is that they are the only metrics that are based on Apple’s own data rather than estimates.

Among the added features are new subscription reports that can also be exported via API, allowing developers to analyze app performance when offline and import Apple data into their own systems.

Developers can also learn more about users by analyzing user behavior regarding download dates, sources, offer start dates, and more. This allows developers to see how a particular population of users has engaged with their app over a period of time, for example by comparing growth in one region to growth in another region.

There’s also a new Peer Group Benchmark that lets developers see how they compare to their competitors in download-to-paid conversion and revenue per download.

Apple says it uses aggregated cohort data to protect user privacy and other differential privacy techniques to protect individual developer performance.

Developers can take advantage of new filters to further drill down into the data when viewing selected metrics in App Store Connect. Apple says developers can apply up to seven filters at the same time.

Additionally, the company has published a new App Store Analytics Guide in the Help section of App Store Connect to help developers create data-driven strategies and better understand App Store tools and features.

There’s no question that App Store Connect was going to be overhauled, but the timing of this rollout is notable. As AI rapidly becomes capable of more and more things, especially among AI agents that can perform actions on behalf of users, there is also talk that the traditional app store model will become a thing of the past. The CEO of smartphone maker Nothing recently theorized that smartphone apps will eventually disappear, for example, as the web becomes filled with AI agents.

But rather than disrupting the lucrative App Store ecosystem, Apple is paving the way for AI to improve. According to Bloomberg, the company plans to unveil an AI-powered Siri that can complete tasks within apps at a developer conference in June.